OLDHAM's only Bangla speaking police officer is about to leave his beat for good after 26-years in the Greater Manchester force. Westwood and Coldhurst beat bobby PC Phil Buckley will retire this month and exchanging handcuffs for a high flying business career. He plans to open a travel agents with two partners. PC Buckley, aged 56, has been working with the Bangladeshi community for 14-years building links with people in his patch by learning their language and studying for a part-time Islamic degree at Manchester University so he can understand their culture and religion. He has visited Bangladesh five times on fact finding missions and is about to go again, but this for a long requirement holiday. His tireless efforts won him the Community Policeman of the Year title in 1998 and in 2001 he was awarded the Queen's Police medal. Phil held a multicultural retirement party at Westwood East Restaurant where Asian music and Scottish bagpipes provided the entertainment: He said: "Even though I've retired, I don't want to let my skills and relations with the Bangladeshi community go to compete waste. "Which is why I've decided to go into business with two partners and open a travel agents in Chadderton Way, in the heart of the Bengali community. "We will offer flights to Bangladesh, India and Pakistan to start with and then move onto other destinations.This is an ideal opportunity where I can still work with the Bangladeshi community and do something exciting." PC Buckley joined the police force in 1978 . He spent three years in Oldham town centre before moving to Saddleworth for seven years and then into Westwood and Coldhurst for the remainder of his career. He is known by Bangladeshis as "bhondu" which means friend in Bengali. He said: "Obviously it was a culture shock when I first got the Westwood posting but I was eager to learn about the community I serve. "The most important thing I learnt policing the district was to become involved with the people by speaking their language and understanding their culture. "Knowing the language is a real ice breaker. People are always surprised and then really welcoming towards me. "When I walk down the streets, uncles and aunties will always invite me in for tea and a chat - this is always very heart warming."